Chapter 9 of the new NCERT Class 9 Social Science textbook is The Price Puzzle: What Drives the Market, part of the Economics section. It explains how demand, supply, and price interact in a market.
Last Updated: September 23, 2026
Demand
Q: What is demand in economics?
A: Demand refers to the quantity of a good or service that buyers are willing and able to purchase at a given price during a given time period.
Supply
Q: What is supply in economics?
A: Supply refers to the quantity of a good or service that sellers are willing and able to offer for sale at a given price during a given time period.
How Price Is Determined
Q: How does the interaction of demand and supply determine the price of a good?
A: When demand is higher than supply, prices tend to rise; when supply is higher than demand, prices tend to fall; the price where the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied is called the equilibrium price.
The Law of Demand
Q: What is the law of demand?
A: The law of demand states that, other things being equal, the higher the price of a good, the lower the quantity demanded, and the lower the price, the higher the quantity demanded — an inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded.
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- Chapter 3: Atmosphere and Climate – Free PDF Download
- Chapter 4: Early Humans and Beginning of Civilisation – Free PDF Download
- Chapter 5: State and Society up to 1000 CE – Free PDF Download
- Chapter 6: Democracy – Free PDF Download
- Chapter 7: Elections – Free PDF Download
- Chapter 8: Building Blocks in Economics: The Problem of Choice – Free PDF Download
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to price when there is a shortage of a good?
When a good is in short supply relative to demand, its price tends to rise, since buyers are willing to pay more to obtain the limited quantity available.
What is equilibrium price?
Equilibrium price is the price at which the quantity of a good that buyers want to purchase exactly matches the quantity that sellers want to sell.
Chapter Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Class 9 Social Science Chapter 9 – More Resources
See the Class 9 Social Science NCERT Book for the full chapter list and official PDF downloads.
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